Taiwan’s chances of receiving an official invitation to participate in the US-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises this year and in 2022 are increasing, Taiwanese national defense experts and a lawmaker have said.
They said that the US and Japan are making moves to help other countries in the Indo-Pacific region to stand up to China, citing the US’ proposed Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) and Japan’s “free and open Indo-Pacific” initiative as examples.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense’s initiative is designed to promote and establish the rule of law, freedom of navigation, free trade, peace and stability in the region.
Photo: Reuters
The PDI proposal and US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper’s June 17 tweet that the US is committed to a democratic Taiwan indicate that the nation could receive an invitation to participate in RIMPAC, Tamkang University Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies director Wong Ming-hsien (翁明賢) said on Friday.
The exercises would allow Taiwan’s navy and air force to pass beyond the first and second island chains to attend the exercises held near Hawaii, he said.
Taiwanese armed forces would also benefit from working with other militaries, he added.
Wong said that despite his optimism, as Taiwan has not yet received an invitation to this year’s RIMPAC, its chances of participating are low.
“The operations and events in this year’s exercise will be in alignment with 2018’s iteration and the exercise would welcome new partners to take leadership roles in the exercise,” US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral John Aquilino said in March.
The 2018 RIMPAC exercises included 25 countries. China, which was invited in 2014 and 2016, has not been invited to participate in this year’s exercises.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said that although the US has yet to pass its annual defense policy bill for fiscal 2021, which includes the PDI, the initiative includes the possibility of inviting Taiwan.
If Taiwan cannot make it this year, there is hope it could attend in 2022, Wang said.
Taiwan plays a crucial role in the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy and “it is inevitable” that it would join the RIMPAC exercises, National Chung Cheng University Graduate Institute of Strategy and International Affairs director Soong Hseik-wen (宋學文) said.
However, the timing of such participation would depend on other aspects, Soong added.
US President Donald Trump, seeking re-election, would not want to make US-China relations too stiff, Soong said, adding that Trump is also hoping that China would buy more US agricultural products due to the US’ slumping economy as a result of COVID-19.
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